Thoughts on IT Infrastructure/Data Centers, Green IT, IT Virtualization, IT Architecture and IT Modernization

Main menu

Post navigation

Disclosure carbon reduction targets of IT Services firms

Sustainable business analyst firm Verdantix carried out a survey to the carbon reduction strategy of the IT services sector. The report reveals the carbon reduction targets and strategies for the 14 largest global IT systems integrators.

Analysis shows a minimal link between IT services providers’ energy use and their carbon targets, with less than a third of firms achieving real cuts in energy consumption within carbon reduction programs, according to David Metcalf, director at Verdantix IT suppliers have relatively mature carbon reduction strategies, but these have been developed for the purpose of marketing rather than improved ways of working. Suppliers offset their usage by purchasing renewable energy certificates from providers of green energy, such as wind and solar power, to reduce their carbon emissions on paper, he says.

The table below shows the “absolute target carbon emissions” for the 12 suppliers using that measure (Accenture and TCS, set reduction targets based on emissions per employee)

There is a big diversity between the suppliers. The year used as the baseline varies from 1990 to 2008, the time span for the reductions ranges from three years to 22 years, and total reduction targets for the suppliers range from 5% to 100%.

Given the statement that there is a minimal link between IT services providers’ energy use and their carbon targets this looks more like green washing then Green IT